The Geek Address

The Silence of the Lambs is a brilliant and horrific film that introduced the world to one of the creepiest characters ever to grace the big screen.  A great deal of the film’s atmosphere can be attributed to the cinematography of Tak Fujimoto. Although the audience doesn’t witness the crimes being committed, the results of the bloody murders are evident from the outset of the film, when Clarice Starling waits in Jack Crawford’s office, surrounded by crime scene photographs depicting the brutal treatment of Buffalo Bill’s victims.

The Silence of the Lambs was one of the first films to dwell on the psychology of serial killers, a preoccupation that Hollywood has continued until this day. Starling’s first encounter with Hannibal Lector is chilling to say the least. Before she reaches the guard station, Doctor Chilton shows her a photograph of the last person who came into contact with Lector: “I am going to show you why we insist on such precautions. On the evening of July 8th, 1981, he complained of chest pains and was taken to the dispensary. His mouthpiece and restraints were removed for an EKG. When the nurse leaned over him, he did this to her. The doctors managed to reset her jaw more or less. Saved one of her eyes. His pulse never got above eighty-five, even when he ate her tongue.” During this monologue, Chilton is cast in a harsh red light which contributes significantly to the palpable sense of dread. When Starling enters the guard station, there is a sustained point-of-view shot as she looks around. Howard Shore’s atmospheric and creepy soundtrack adds significantly to the tension which continues as she approaches Lector’s cell. Anthony Hopkins delivers a chilling and iconic performance as the psychopathic cannibal. The intensity of these scenes is achieved largely through very imposing close-ups. It’s Lector’s lack of emotion that’s particularly disturbing. 

Aside from the conversations between Lector and Starling - which were the most engaging parts of Thomas Harris’ novel - the film boasts some very atmospheric and disturbing set pieces. Most notable among these is when Starling explores the self-storage container early in the film. The use of lighting, music and sound is truly masterful. Fortunately, Starling is not one to lose her head.

One of the most chilling moments in the film is when Lector’s finger brushes against Starling’s hand. Sir Anthony Hopkins should have received an Academy Award for Best Performance from An Index Finger in a Motion Picture. Who would have thought that a digit could be so ominous? His eventual escape is executed with Hitchcockian grandeur. The editing towards the climax of the film is also particularly impressive. Demme manages to throw the audience a cinematic red herring. The film deservingly won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. Despite the passage of time, The Silence of the Lambs remains an extremely terrifying horror film.

Best line: “You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you’re not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you’ve tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What’s your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you. All those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out, getting anywhere, getting all the way to the FBI.”

Worst line: We need an address and a physical description.